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By Alexa Gilker
“BE PREPARED to take off your clothes.”
This isn’t usually the first piece of advice one gets when entering into ministry; but
for 23-year-old Willem Brussow, co-founder of the Tailgate Grill, it’s been a useful tip.
Since starting the Grill, a weekly burger BBQ for people living on the street in
Victoria, Brussow has given away several articles of clothing, and countless
burgers, to the homeless friends he meets.
Brussow started the BBQ in February, with another university friend, after a
sermon on loving the poor struck a chord.
“We decided to just drive around one Sunday with my portable BBQ in the tailgate
of my truck and grill up some burgers for whoever didn’t eat that day,” said Brussow. Intending it to be a one-time thing, they never dreamed the 20
burgers they grilled that first Sunday would grow to a weekly gathering of 150
eager eaters and 10 student volunteers.
Brussow parks his truck in front of Streetlink homeless shelter, where there is
never a shortage of folks who need a meal. Volunteers are recruited through
word of mouth, as fellow students hear about the ministry and clear their
studying schedules to come and help out.
“My heart says I need to be here,” said Merissa Schultz, a regular volunteer with the Grill. The people they
serve, she added, “are God’s people, and they need to be fed.”
Along with providing a warm meal with protein, grilling burgers provides the
opportunity to build relationships.
“With burgers, you can’t just grab one and run,” said Brussow. Those waiting are given a number and encouraged to hang out while
the burgers cook. The long grilling process provides time to chat with people,
as well as offer prayer to those interested in receiving it.
Schultz described Tailgate Grill as a ministry that seeks to embody, rather than
simply preach, Christ’s love. She gave the example of meeting Charlene, a woman currently going
through addiction rehabilitation while living in a shelter.
Schultz said that, through spending time eating with her at the Grill, she was
blessed to see Charlene rediscover a faith in Jesus.
“We are learning what it means to be ‘Jesus with skin on’,” Shultz said. She noted that “We are who we are” while serving at the Grill, “and God seems to work through us.”
Charlene, who had grown up attending church, credited Tailgate Grill for “allowing me to rediscover a spiritual connection.” As a Christian living on the street, she said it is hard to keep faith on a
daily basis; but she is encouraged to “see Christianity in action” through the Tailgate volunteers.
Creativity is in action as well, as volunteers brainstorm new ways to raise the
funds necessary to feed hundreds of people per month. So far, the Grill is
entirely self-supported by the students involved.
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“Friends show up, bring food, and then we cook it and hope for the best,” said Brussow, who likens their situation to the miracle in Mark 6, where Jesus
multiplies a few loaves and fish to feed thousands. The Grill was offered a
fund-raising opportunity in August, grilling burgers at a local rugby
tournament. The team hope to continue using their imaginations to raise money.
One such idea was put forward by Joanne Stephens, a student volunteer with a
passion for art. Encouraged by the artistic talents of several homeless
individuals, she has plans to bring art supplies to the BBQ so that those who
can’t afford them can still enjoy the creative outlet.
Her dream is to eventually sell some of these paintings, with the proceeds
helping to fund further Tailgate meetings.
The idea of giving ‘Grill-ers,’ both servers and eaters, a chance to utilize their creative gifts, is one that
Brussow is especially passionate about.
“Someone always brings a guitar,” he said, describing one particular day when a man waiting for a burger asked to
take a turn playing. “He ended up playing us these beautiful worship songs that he had written
himself, and started teaching us how to play them.” The man had reluctantly sold his own guitar long ago, and the opportunity to
play again “blessed everyone.”
For Brussow, “the bottom line is: Jesus spent his time with the poor, the sick, and the
homeless. We desire to model that.” For those wishing to follow his lead, he insisted that it is a very do-able
thing. He said anyone can grab a friend, make some sandwiches, and spend some
time meeting people on the street.
“It doesn’t take much. Once you give someone an opportunity to tell their story, you can
build a relationship from there. That’s what Jesus did.”
For more info, go to tailgategrill.ca
October 2009
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